A. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a tool for removing lamps, and more particularly to a tool for removing the base of a lamp whose bulb has been broken.
Incandescent lamps typically feature screw-type bases. Such lamps are installed by grasping the glass bulb of the lamp, inserting the base into its intended socket and then rotating the lamp so that the mating screw threads on the lamp base and socket pull the lamp into the socket until it is firmly seated, thus making the contact necessary to complete the electrical circuit. The rotative force necessary for this method of installation is supplied manually and is applied by a firm hand grip on the glass bulb of the lamp. Removal of the lamp is accomplished by a similar procedure except that the rotative force is applied in the opposite direction.
Due to the fragile nature of the glass bulb, combined with its typical use in an exposed location without substantial protection, it frequently happens that sometime after installation the bulb shatters as the result of an inadvertent contact with another object, or the glass bulb otherwise becomes removed from the lamp base. Replacement of the lamp requires removal of the screw base. However, in such circumstances the glass bulb is no longer available as a means of grasping the lamp and applying the rotative force necessary to unscrew the base. The difficulty of this situation is further compounded by sharp remnants of the glass bulb still affixed to the base.
B. Description of the Prior Art
In the past the methods utilized for removing the lamp base from its socket after its bulb has been broken involved inserting one's fingers into the screw base or gripping the lip of the screw base with a compression tool, such as a needle-nosed pliers, so that the necessary rotative force can be applied (it should be noted that as a result of airborne particles which frequently attach themselves to the surfaces of the screw threads, the rotative force necessary to remove the screw base may be substantially greater than that applied at installation, depending on the local environment and the elapsed time since the lamp's installation). This procedure is both difficult and time consuming and poses dangers of laceration and electrical shock to the person attempting to remove the lamp base thereby.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide an apparatus and method for removing the lamp base after the bulb of the lamp has been broken which is both safe and efficient.